Improvement in gas-engines



UNITED STATES ATE'NT OFFICE.

OSCAR H. KRATZE, 0F LEIPSIG, SAXNY, ASSIGNOR TO FERDINAND F. MANGELSDORF, OF STAPLETON, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN .GAS-ENGiNES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 39,448, dated August 4, 1 863.

4 top view of the same, partly in section.

Similar letters of reference in bothviews indicate corresponding parts.

' The object of this invention is to use petroleum or other hydrocarbon; liquids for-the pure pose of giving motion to the piston of at or-" dinary cylinder without the use of a furnace.

The invention consists in the arrangement of adouble cone, the inner cone being'provided with a concave top, and its surface being covered with cloth or other absorbent. material, and the outer.cone being made adjustable, in combination with the cylinder in such a manner that by the suction of the reciprocating piston in the cylinder a current of air is caused to pass through between the two cones where it is brought in contact with the liquid spread over the absorbent surface of the inner cone, and thereby saturated with the vapors of said liquid, and that a rnixture'of air with vapor is thereby produced capable of being ignited by an electric current.

The invention consists, finally, in the arran gement of one or more layers of wire-gauze in the induction-ports of the cylinder, between it and the gas-mixer, and in such a manner that the fire is prevented burning back.

To enable those skilled. in the art to make I and usemy invention, I will. proceed to de-.

scribe it.

A represents an ordinary steam-cylinder, provided-with a piston of the ordinary construction. Said cylinder is surrounded by a water-jacket to prevent it getting overheated, and it is furnished with two slide-valves, B B, one controlling the induction and the other the exhaust. These slide-valves otain motion from eccentrics on the crank-shaft in the ordinary manner; The motion of the piston is produced by igniting a mixture of hydrocarbon vapor and atmospheric air in the cylinder by an electric current which passes from a suitable battery through the wires 10, 11, 12, and 13, according to the position of the crosshead 0. This cross-head isinmetallic contact with metal strips a b c, and the strip a connects, by means of the wire 10,- with the positive pole of the battery. The strip b connects, by the wire 11, with one, and the strip 0, by the wire 12, with the opposite end of the cylinder, and the wire 13 leads from some por- 'tion of the cylinder to the negative pole of the battery.

In the position shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings the electric current passes through the wires 10, 1'1, and 13, and if the piston reaches the opposite'end of its stroke the current passes through the wires 10, 12, and 13, and

.by these means the mixture of air and hydrocarbon vapor is alternately ignited in one end of the cylinder and then in the other.

D is thegas-mixer, which consists of a reservoir, d, and .two cones, e f, one inside the other, and both inclosed in a dome, g. The inner cone, e, is open at the base and provided with a concave top, h, to receive petroleum or other hydrocarbon liquid admitted through a pipe, d. The surface of the cone 0 is covered with cloth or other absorbent material, which takes up the liquid contained in the concave top by capillary attraction and spreads it over a large evaporating surface. The outer cone, f,is open at the top and closed at the bottom, audit slides upand down'on the pipe j, which leads to the interior of the reservoir 9.. Its position is regulated by a pinion, k, and rack l, and by lowering or raising said cone the passage between the two cones is diminished or enlarged, and thereby the velocity with which the air passes through said passage is 1 increased or diminished. The dome g is per forated with holes m to admit an unlimited supply of atmospheric air. The reservoir d communicates, by means of pipes n, with the valve-chamber E, in which the slide-valve D moves, and by moving the slide-valve the two ends of the cylinder are alternately brought in communication with the gas-mixer. The

induction-ports o in the slide-valve or in the cylinder are provided with one or more layers,

p, of wire-gauze to prevent the fire burning back from the interior of the cylinder to the reservoir (1.

The operation is as follo we: The atmospheric air, in passing through between the cones e f,

' takes up a quan tity of vapor from the liquid ab-v 1 sorbed by the cloth or other material covering the surface of the inner cone, and on reaching the cylinder this mixture of air and vapor is ignitedby theelectric current, and the piston begins to move. During its motion it sucks in the air and a ct'irrent is created through the I passage between thefcones, causing a quick.

evaporation of. the hydrocarbon liquid and facilitating the formation of thepr'oper mm. ture of vapor and air. -'The reservoir d is thus charged with this mixture, and on the return stroke a sufficient quantity of the mixture isfornzed to produce the desired motion. The passage between the cones cf is regulated according to the specific gravity or degree of evaporation of the hydrocarbon liquid used,

and it can be adjusted so' nicely'that hydro-' carbon liquids of difierent gravity can be used.

By'using tire vapors of hydrocarbon liquids in cont-radistinc'tionto gas. the fuel required for'the purpose of producing the gas is: saved and thehydrocarbon liquid-is directly applied as motive-power.

Havin g thus described my invention; what I claim as nemand desire to secure by Letters- Patent, is--- 1. The arrangement'of the cone e, covered 'with some absorbent material, incombination with the adjustable cone f andcylinderA, constructed and operating in the manner and for the purpose substantially as described.

2. The arrangement of one or more layers of wire-gauze in the induction-ports, snbstan- J t-iall; as and for the purpose set forth.

oscAn HEN. KRATZE.

Witnesses:

FRED. CHARLES WALTHER, vTn. ROCKSTRUH. 

